1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally electronic equipment, such as computers, and, more particularly, to a bracket for mounting assemblies such as disk drives in a chassis.
2. Background Information
Electronic equipment, such as computer systems, often includes subassemblies and components, such as disk drives, that are mounted in a chassis or enclosure. Various types of assemblies are used for mounting such components. Some enclosures may accommodate multiple disk drives in adjacent positions in a chassis (vertically or horizontally). Space may be required between each of the drives for the mounting hardware, such as rails, guides, and brackets. For example, if two or more disk drives having left and right side rails and guides are placed side by side in a horizontal row, space is required between the disk drives for the rails and guides. The spacing requirements of the mounting rails and guides may limit the number of disk drives that can be placed in a given width. For example, a standard size rack width may be about 19 inches. If the width of a disk drive is about 4 inches and each disk drive requires 1 inch of additional width for mounting hardware, then no more than three disk drives (5 inches per drive times 3 drives) may fit in a single horizontal row of the rack.
A leading edge of a disk drive assembly may include an electrical connector portion (e.g., a plug) that couples with a corresponding electrical connector portion (e.g., a socket) at the rear of the chassis. When the disk drive is positioned for insertion into the chassis, the connector portions may not be visible to the installer. If a disk drive is rapidly inserted into the chassis or inserted with excessive force, the contacts may be damaged (e.g., pins may be bent or permanently deformed). In addition, an installer may have limited feedback in determining whether the connectors are fully engaged.
It would be beneficial to have a bracket for a disk drive that consumes minimal space on the sides of the disk drive. It would further be beneficial to have an injector for a disk drive system that facilitates insertion of the disk drive assembly at a measured speed and indicates to a user whether the disk drive is installed. It would be further beneficial to have a bracket in which multiple elements are formed as a single unit.